


Love was never an open book

by Jeageractive



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Based on that cute tumblr post that lists indirect i love you's, But then quitting after five seconds, Eren being an oblivous idiot as per usual, I mean look at Mikasa's attempts, Levi being awkward and trying to be approachable, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-26
Updated: 2014-06-26
Packaged: 2018-02-05 17:32:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1826410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeageractive/pseuds/Jeageractive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His superior was practically exasperated with his good for nothing existence and apparently couldn't hold back from verbally expressing his peeves anymore. And Eren was starting to get exasperated with himself as well, to be honest.</p><p>Only the real and overlooked problem was, Eren still couldn't understand love language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love was never an open book

Eren was recently noticing a few differences in the Corporal's treatment towards him that might have just made his life a little more complicated than a titan shifter's/weapon of mass destruction that gets enough shit already from his peers. To brief it up, he was destroying any hopes of his mad crush being noticed with his utter idiocy.

His superior was practically exasperated with his good for nothing existence and apparently couldn't hold back from verbally expressing his peeves anymore. And Eren was starting to get exasperated with himself as well, to be honest. Clumsy and inattentive were the words. 

There was that one time outside the walls _—_ It was as dark and heavy as ink outside, the ground mush in a post rain state, and his horse was being more of a stubborn bitch than usual. The Corporal had ordered him to say in close proximity at all times, in other words the flick of his horse's tail should nearly smack Eren in the face, and said teen was falling behind due to his horse's lack of cooperation.

"Goddammit, please move, _move."_ He urged in a low volume between clenched teeth, eyes drifting upwards every now and then to see how far behind they were getting. At this rate, he was going to get a kick in the face if his damn horse didn't pick it up. The horse snorted defiantly, stomping his hooves into the ground in an intelligent gesture of communicating exhaustion. 

Eren was pissed off. He jerked his feet in a quick and painful squeeze, boot's digging into the side of the animal's stomach. Next think he new, it was whinnying shrilly and he was falling backwards, landing onto his back in a loud thud. He felt the wind knock out of him as he hit jagged little rocks and pebbles, the impact rendering him dizzy and speechless. He glimpsed the horse fall back onto all fours after throwing him off and then grimaced _—_ not because of pain but because the Corporal was looming over him suddenly.

"Motherfucking  _idiot_." Levi seemed at a loss of words _—_ like nothing could express just how stupid Eren was.

Eren found himself forgetting about all his pain as he attempted to get up, too busy breathing a long line of,"Sorry, I'm so sorry, god, sorry _—_ "

A few others had unmounted their horses and were standing around him, but Eren couldn't keep his eyes off of Levi, who's stone gaze revealed nothing but annoyance as he surveyed Eren for any severe injuries.

"You could've broken your spinal cord if you weren't some mad titan shifter. What did you do to piss off your horse that much?"

"It wouldn't move! I just gave it a nudge with my boots and it went wild." 

"Ask for help next time, damn it." He stood up after that, Eren oblivious to the firm hold on his hand until he was being effortlessly yanked up.

It was worse when he couldn't survive petty domestic errands, like doing the laundry. Yes,  _doing the fucking laundry._

It was windy, a biting cold that Eren enjoyed due to his body temperature. The only part he didn't enjoy was the biting part _—_ that was bound to give him red and over cooked cheese-like cheeks for another week.

The warm water he was using to wash instantly went cold, and just removing his arms above the surface made goosebumps break all over his body. He washed a first load, clipped them on to dry, and went back to his second load. That's when three white bed sheets decided to run away with the wind, one of them hitting him from the back and knocking him forward. Straight into the bucket of bone chilling water. 

He was a sad excuse of a trained soldier.

His first priority was getting his head out of the bucket to breathe, his second to sprint after the bed sheets on the loose. The one that hit him clung to his body due to the water, the dry part of it billowing in the wind and slowing him the fuck down.

This could only end in two possible ways: Death from Pneumonia, or a serious ass kicking.

But it ended with him cocooned with blankets (and Mikasa's scarf) in bed, Jean and Connie snorting and laughing in a heap because they witnessed his wild goose chase first hand, and the Corporal nearly pulling his hair out in frustration.

"It's ass chilling windy, you have some traces of a brain, and you've got these big ass empty rooms to choose from and to sit and wash the damn clothes in. When that's done,  _then_ you go and hang them on _properly_ to dry. Can you not do a simple job, for fuck's sake Eren?"

"I'm sorry, sir, It was nice out."

"It was nice out." Levi repeated blankly. Eren always cringed when they got to the what-in-the-name-of-Rose-do-I-do-with-you stage. Eren had got to know him that well, because the next thing he was saying was "What in the name of Rose do I do with you?"

"I can go wash them all again, sir. Inside. Um. One of these big ass rooms."

Something replaced his cold demeanor suddenly, but before Eren could identify it, it had been pushed back in the dark. He had a hunch, though _—_ it was something like amusement."You're going to sit here for the rest of the day, and you're not allowed to leave your bed at any instance, understood?"

Eren visibly deflated, eyes finding the floor."Yes sir."

There were voices just outside his barrack division as he left, the distinguished Corporal's and what Eren picked up as Petra's.

"Make him some hot soup or something of the sorts, and if you feel he's catching a cold bring him some medicine."

There was a slight hint of laughter in Petra's voice."But sir, Eren heals on his own."

"We don't know the extent of his healing powers, so far all that's evident is his regrowth of limbs and recovery from injuries. Just to be on the safe side, Petra."

"Yes, sir."

Eren felt himself flush in anger and embarrassment. He was such a fucking disappointment, and to top it off Levi was babying him because apparently he was  _that_ fragile. 

The third incident was the most productive, but at the same time the most destructive. Why? Obviously because Hanji was involved. Hanging out with her seemed a little more promising to Eren, especially since she assured him the experiments had to do only with a formula they were putting together for some titan shit, and also because she was going to show him first hand Alchemy.

Eren was really excited, but felt a little guilty for excluding Armin from something he would without a doubt be elated to experience _—_ but Hanji had insisted he kept it confidential. Alchemy was a forbidden practice, after all.

It was great and all, until Eren decided to fumble with the luring and multicolored canisters of liquid while Hanji went out to get something. One of them, currently being boiled on Hanji's mini stove, smelled utterly horrible, and out of curiosity he dumped a pleasant smelling liquid on top of it to see what would happen.

He really didn't see it coming. The glass canister exploded without warning, and he was left tending to a burned hand and a fire that just _wouldn't fucking go out._

Hanji was in deep, deep shit, and he was ready to cry in frustration because he'd been doing everything wrong for the past month, when all he wanted to do was impress Levi once.

Mikasa was petrified, sick with worry even when Eren assured her it was a shallow burn. At this point he expected Levi to disown him from his squad.

But he took a course of action that felt really out of place and uncomfortable. When Eren was alone in the barracks, still cuddled up to his blankets because he was sure he got a fever, Levi strolled in wordlessly and took a seat beside him on the bed. It took Eren all his self control to not just jump out of his skin.

"Eren." His voice was gentle, seemingly forced and so out of place."Lately you've been troubled with an issue that's getting in the way of your duties. So let's talk about it."

Eren didn't hide his discomfort one bit, face scrunching up in question of how serious he was right now. He felt himself subconsciously drift back and into his blankets, expression increasing in distaste by the second.

Levi huffed a breath and effectively blew a few strands away from his face before giving Eren a cuff on the head."I get it, you're a masochistic bastard who can't appreciate painful acts of kindness. Let's rephrase that to fit your standards: The fuck is wrong with you lately?"

That wasn't what Eren had meant at all, but he was in no mood to argue right now."Allow me, sir, to say that the problem is sort of yours." It died into meekness in the end, because Eren hadn't considered how the Corporal would take that.

"Want to say that again, brat?" An eye narrow, a twitch of a brow and a sharpness cutting in his eyes.

"Sorry sir, what I meant was, you just...you don't tolerate me anymore." He twisted his fingers together subconsciously.

"I never did in the first place."

"I _know_. But it's been getting worse."

There was an interval of silence that Levi cut off with a sigh."Look, brat. Clearly you haven't considered  _why_ I've been losing my shit but just the fact that I am. If you hadn't turned into a suicidal, good for nothing but panic attacks idiot then maybe tolerance is a debatable topic."

Eren groaned and rubbed his face with a hand."I've been at the wrong place at the wrong time so much it's like some divine and vengeful interjection. I can't help getting in trouble, I don't mean it. All I ever really wanted to do was just..." He stopped himself at the last second.

"Do what?"

Shit."Nothing."

"Jaeger."

Nononononono."Really, it's nothing."

"You have five seconds. Five."Levi cocked an impatient brow. 

The brunet visibly cringed."But it's nothing!"

"Four."

"But, _Levi Siiiiir."_ He whined pleadingly.

"Three." The Corporal cracked his fingers in a threatening gesture of preparation.

"Okay, okay." Eren held up his hands, and prayed an earthquake would happen before he has to say it out loud. But it didn't, and Levi was starting to look impatient again.

"I just wanted to..." The floor was very interesting suddenly."Impress you." There."But it results into shit every time."

He knew it would fall into this dead silence, and he hated it. When almost a minute passed and Levi still had yet to say something Eren felt the need to break the silence."Instead you're hating me more because _—"_

"Who the fuck gave you such an idea, Eren?"

"Well no one had to tell me, I can take a hint." He shrugged, an angry frown nestling back home on his face.

"No, Eren. You're fucking stupid and absolutely _cannot_ take a hint."

Eren's cheeks grew hot at this, assuming it was worse than he thought, oblivious to what he actually meant.

"You're annoying as fuck, I can tell you that. Does that instantly make me hate you?"

"Yes. No one likes their nuisances." Eren was subconsciously sulking now, and Levi had the mind to kick him, kiss him and then leave. If it would get them anywhere.

"Your mother _—_ sister. Her constant doting is annoying, no?"

"God yes."

"Do you hate her, then?"

Eren paused, eyes drifting to the Corporal and lingering for a second once he caught on."Of course not."

A little hope for that brain of his."Can you then take a hint, Eren?"

"What hint?"

"Fuck it." Levi was so done with this brat."I don't hate you, quite the contrary, and the only reason I scold you is because, well, you're no use to me dead. Even though you've been asking for it more than once with your buttery brain and fingers."

Eren cracked a sheepish grin at this.

"Don't pull anymore of your shit stunts. I know you're capable and that you've got potential, otherwise I wouldn't put all this effort into bringing it out of you."

The brunet blinked almost as if in confused disbelief."Why don't you ever say so?"

"Because you'll get cheeky and lose focus." Levi stated matter-of-factly.

Eren grinned again, self satisfaction evident in his gaze.

"Have we come to an understanding?"

"Yes, sir." He let out a jaw breaking yawn, Levi realizing how late into the night it was getting.

"Get some rest, if you want to get up at all tomorrow."

Another, drowsy "Yes sir."

Levi got up and was about to leave when a grip around his wrist stopped him."What now?"

Eren clumsily got out of his nest of warmth, eyes lidding half way tiredly. He looked harmless enough, until Levi was being pulled forward and gentle fingers were tilting his chin upwards.

Cheeky was understated _—_ downright impudent was more accurate and something told the older he shouldn't have boosted his ego like that. Eren lowered his lips softly on his own, not rushed, not afraid in the slightest _—_ but keeping it as a chaste beginning nonetheless. It was a simple kiss, no tongue, not biting, no nothing, just a feather light touch with a satisfying press, and the brat was catapulting back to his bed so he wouldn't have to face the consequences. 

"Goodnight, Corporal."

"Well aren't you going to have one." He left the room with a small smile and the sound of light giggling behind.

**Author's Note:**

> That felt boring and typical.


End file.
